At Lingerie Football tryouts, women ripped, fit, competitive – Omaha World
June 24, 2012 by admin
Filed under Latest Lingerie News
Their uniforms may be “lingerie,” but the women who tried out for an all-female football team were anything but frilly or girly.
About 35 athletes on Saturday made a run, pass and tackle at gaining a spot on the Lingerie Football League’s local franchise, the Omaha Heart.
Most of the women were ripped, fit and bristling with competitiveness.
But it was tempered with a heavy dose of team spirit once the drills began at Off the Wall Sports in La Vista.
Morgan Anderson, 22, is a longtime athlete who played soccer for Bellevue University and Millard West High School.
“I love it,” she said, catching her breath from an offensive sprint-and-catch drill. “There’s nothing for female college athletes after school ends, but it’s something I want.”
Her mother, Debbie, and 17-year-old brother Hunter were in the stands cheering her on.
When asked if the uniform — a sports bra and short shorts — worried her, Debbie Anderson laughed and shook her head.
“I’m sure all the girls are very athletic, and that’s what they’re out there for. I support (Morgan),” she said.
The Lingerie Football League is a 7-on-7 tackle league. It’s full contact, played on a 50-yard field and there are no field goals or punts.
Three women traveled from Dallas to try out for the Omaha Heart team.
The Texans had a slight advantage over some of the other hopefuls because they had been training to play for the Dallas Desire, a lingerie team that was discontinued earlier this year.
“We’ve been athletes our whole lives. This is a way to be tough but still be a lady,” said 26-year-old Shawnte Bunting of Dallas, who works full time as an insurance agent.
Family members of Leslie Walls, 26, were also at the arena to show their support.
Justin Walls said his 6-foot-2-inch wife — hard to miss in neon yellow — was a college basketball player who missed team competition.
She had their son Colton 18 months earlier and has been working out since then, he said.
“She would run drills in our cul-de-sac,” Walls said. “I’m very proud.”
Jacqueline Smyth, 26, said the sense of camaraderie on the field made her desire for a spot on the team even stronger.
Smyth owns a cleaning company in Omaha. She said she has played sports for most of her life.
“I’m excited and so glad this team came to Omaha,” she said.
Some of the women in the tryouts will be invited to a training camp later this year. For those who missed their chance on Saturday, another open tryout is in the works for August.
The team is scheduled to begin play at the new Ralston arena in 2013.
Contact the writer:
402-444-3131, sam.womack@owh.com
